New AR-15 Owner Lesson: Cheap AR-15 Post Upgrade Failure
Originally I made this AR-15 video about two affordable upgrades that can enhance reliability in a budget friendly rifle. But, that’s not what happened.
Before you go crazy, I am not trying to tell everyone they shouldn’t have an AR-15 if they can’t afford a fancy one. Please get what you can afford. But you know what’s not budget friendly? Fixing a budget friendly rifle. Every single extra dollar you spend on that rifle to make it work properly could have been invested in a higher quality firearm. Not to mention the need for experience, skills, time and tools required to actually troubleshoot what those problems might be. I think this is often overlooked by those who have the tools, time, experience and skills to be able to easily overcome the possible issues presented by budget friendly AR-15′ specifically. The way the world is now, I would prefer that those prepared citizens who want to be ready to defend themselves and their families have something reliable right out of the gate. Instead of rolling the dice. If your only concern is recreation, that’s fine. But keep your expectations of reliability realistic if that’s the case.
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This is just me sharing my honest personal experience. The reason I set out to make this video was to help those who are on a tight budget find affordable options to improve the reliability of their rifle. But through the process, the going "cheap" route only made things more expensive in the long run. And I am working on more budget friendly rifle setups to hopefully share that information as well. One of those projects is based around a Ruger MPR AR-556 which as of right now is being shipped back from the factory due to issues regarding an out of spec lower receiver. I want every American to own a good rifle they can depend on regardless of financial standing. So please understand, this is just what I am personally experiencing and that experience is what shapes my opinion. I have owned PSA's, BCA's, Andersons, DPMS's and more. Some of them worked just fine. Some did not. But any suggestions or advice you have for those new AR-15 owners or perspective buyers, especially those on a budget, please leave them below. Let's help each other out so we can all be as prepared as possible for whatever comes next.
Aero Precision isn't a "budget" build. They make most receivers for most companies, including "high end" ones.
Looks under gassed or you might want to swap out that heavy buffer. Look at the ejection pattern it can barely eject the brass in most shots fired. Stake the gas key on the bcg from moving and mark it to see if it moves
Midway USA is an awesome retailer! But, PSA has great deals on reliable pew pews. Go USA!
My Smith & Wesson M&P Sport 2 AR15 worked well out of the box with no hiccups… I think this the best quality low budget AR15 available for Americans.
I will stick with my 14 year old colt 6920 that I bought at Wal-Mart.
Weak ejector plunger spring.
My mid price Stag Arms left handed AR has worked flawlessly since 2009.
@MagicPrepper, bushmaster is an awesome fire arm!!!!
Bushmaster Magic Prepper!!!!
Other people already said it, but just buy a psa lmao. Yeah you can certainly have issues like this with them, but it's easy to remediate and psa rules as a company.
My 1st PSA from 2021 was a pos. Out of spec upper,loose gas key that damaged the gas tube. They weren't answering the phone at that time,so I ended up buying parts and fxing it myself. My budget AR ended up costing $850ish. I have uaed psa lowers on 4 more guns and tbey are good to go
My first Bushmaster AR/M4 was bought in 1995..
Complete builder error. Why anyone builds a rifle from the ground up anymore is beyond me. Prices for built uppers and lowers are so low now.
Now you can sell* the rifle for more to someone who is thinking about buying a cheaper one of that type, having established you've fixed the issue.
Ejection pattern isnt a good point of reference for over gassing. Theres about 7 different things to an AR that affects ejection that dont have to do with the gas.
Good video and advice. The extra ammo cost associated with troubleshooting usually isn’t factored in. Another thing that has to be added in is time; it’s a major waste of time to drive to the range and set everything up only to realize that your gun won’t run right.
Great review. Don't be sorry for telling the truth.
Cheap ARs are usually over-gassed in order to cycle under-powered steel-case ammunition more reliably.
Haven’t ever had any issues with my ruger mini
It’s a Bear Creek rebranded with a name barely anyone who buys it would know.
Theres really good budget brands out there like PSA, Andro Corp or new Radicals. (I know Radicals used to suck they don’t anymore)
This is going to be controversial but new AR owners should experience some issues. Most new people are buying AR and not training. At least with malfunctions they learn how to fix malfunctions on the range instead of an issue if shtf. A new owner buys a solid mid tier rifle. Takes it to the range four times a year. Never has a malfunction. Than a time comes they need to use it and the environment or situation causes them to have a malfunction mechanical or user and they have no clue what to do.
Yeah those spent casings are dribbling out of there with all buffer weights. The new BCG seems much better.
Solid videos! Really appreciate your efforts and info!
AR stoner is a bad example, I got some of there steel mags for my 7.62×39 AR and they are trash so I wouldn't expect much more out of there rifles . PSA is pretty nice for the price I hear.
Have had good luck with my $650 diamondback. Only 1-2 fte's in about 1500 rnds.
Step one should have been testing a current BCG you own that works in the rifle you built.
Over gassing is NOT a problem. It's supposed to fire a wide variety of ammunition including less powerful.223. Especially for SHTF .
People DO need tools and basic replacement parts for SHTF.
No AR is guaranteed out of the box, that's where the saying "they have a great warranty" comes from.
If you are trying to convince people to wait or save up for an overpriced AR then do they really need the AR if they are going to wait?
I've had budget things work well out of the box, and budget things kick the can less than a mag in. Worst was my wife's first rifle, the extractor sheered off while we were breaking it in and sighting her red dot.
Sw mp sport was my first rifle. Picked it up for $500 used a while back. Has been a solid rifle, and I never had any issues with it. Would recommend it for new rifle owners.
If you want a budget friendly AR, look no further than PSA. Great value if you wait for a great sale, and they have them all the time! And they are good to go right out of the box. Lifetime warranty also. I really thought PSA was a no brainer.
I tend to steer folks towards LE trade in ARs if they're looking to save some bucks but still have something reliable; my experience with them has been great, YMMV of course.
A Sprinco ejector spring would fix the lazy ejection on the 1st bolt. It's a lot more important to learn the platform than it is to buy a more expensive rifle. If you understood how an ejector spring affects ejection, you could've spent $4 on the spring rather than $170 on an unnecessary new BCG….. Ignorance costs a lot of extra money and this video is a perfect example of that. Armorers should use this video as an example when teaching their students.
I just went thru same problem with Bear Creek had th throw out there bolt carrier it was junk bought new palmetto state bolt carrier and it fixed it .
I think cheap ars are like the lotto. I got a dpms 10 years ago, and it has to my knowledge never had a malfunction caused by the rifle. It was always ammo issues. Basically it's just a dpms lower now but it was a solid rifle before the upgrades and it only cost me 500 bucks.
Hahahaha 19:27 he called out my comment before I finished the video
I've had Glocks I've had to trouble shoot chase down parts for had a Benelli shotgun new that had lots of issues just because you spend more on stuff doesn't mean it's better my buddy has a Daniel's defense me and him went out during covid found out his Gun will not run steel case thing doesn't shoot any better than my ars that are hafe price just buy a brand like PSA that backs up their products if it doesn't work, call send you new one 😊 two is one one none that gose for 500$ gun and 5000 guns
Get a haircut HIPPY LOL
Aside from all the other comments dissecting your research, I think this is a great video for informational purposes. Showing how to diagnose a problem and find the fix. Thanks again!
A PSA or a S&W is affordable and reliable right out of the box in my experience. Lots of people don’t have the know how to troubleshoot an issue so they’re better off getting a pre made one. But for other people that know how to tinker then go ahead and build one, it’s a good way to get to know your rifle butt to muzzle.
One of my friends gave me a bcg, no idea brand but it says MP on the bolt. It would malfunction every other mag. I now suspect it could be that bcg so this is helpful in a way because I’ve been swapping springs and buffer and same thing.
BINGO
Great video. Cheap ARs are cheap for a reason.
No reason to compromise a HD / SHTF / Z-Poc / Boog rifle, to save a couple hundred $$$$.
Magic for fun…
Bear creek arms complete upper
Psa lower with the ept triger
I put 2 together, around 350 each and have a few thousand rounds through each with no problems at all so far.
Also have a dpms oracle and a complete psa 15 also with 0 issues, maybe im lucky but i can say i have multiple rifles that I could care less if ithe get beat up, for the price of 1 lowe end "quality rifle"
Who put that Lego15 together?
It's better to build, payed 3k for a Daniel defense that is a pile of trash after sending it back twice. Buy a psa change the bcg, barrel and buffer system. Remember knowing how to fix your rifle is essential for future knowledge. Btw I have a ar that I have had since the late 90s that I have fully rebuilt besides the recievers.i trust my life with my bishmaster.
I have two Ruger 5.56 ARs and they run wonderful no problems. Ruger is awesome and there is nothing wrong with Ruger. Ruger is top notch. I have Aero ARs and I build my own ARs as well. Nothing wrong with Ruger. I have a Bear Creek AR too and it runs awesome as well and it's all Bear Creek.
Ejection is weak. I would make sure your BCG isn't leaking gas. With BCG removed from the gun and BCG clean, depress the bolt into the BCG. Hold the bolt and slowly let the BCG hang vertically by the bolt. If the BCG falls without shaking the unit, you have insufficient ring tension allowing gas to escape. Check your key bolts in the top of the BCG. You COULD have a broken key bolt that isn't readily evident. Make SURE there is no obstruction in the key itself. It's a long shot but I have seen a primer go into the opening of the key and restrict gas. Also, pull your ejector and spring, ensure there is no kink in the spring and that channel is lightly lubed. That ejector should be firm when depressed but return freely. And last but not least, try another BCG. This will isolate the problem if it is the current BCG. As I go through the video, I see you did this, LOL.
AR stoner sucks ass lol
Really want to see you review an M&P now. I consider S&W the least expensive, buy-for-life brand.
In one way it's a good thing because you get the experience of learning why the rifle is malfunctioning Plus everyone should know by now if you're going stupid cheap budget go with the bca they got a great warranty
I sincerely enjoyed and appreciate this video. It's like "getting a great deal on a used car." If you end up having to completely replace the engine to get it to run right, it may not have been "a great deal," unless that's what you're looking for
Good advice. A lot of folks just want to buy something that works completely stock, no muss, no fuss.
Good observation. Once you get to the point where you geek out on tweaking your gat, you aren't usually interested in buying buget gear. I've built several AR "things", and my goals are reliability, accuracy, and ergonomics. I've purpose built some for family members also. I wouldn't recommend pencil profile for everyone's first gun, but my daughter sure likes hers after a full day on the range.
I've been tempted to try building an rifle as low cost as possible just to see what I could do it for. It would also be a good use for the mountain of Take Offs I sitting in boxes. But I'd feel more comfortable leaving a $500 truck gun in a vehicle than a $2000 rig. Same with a House gun that doesn't get put in a safe whenever I leave. With the caveat that the weapon is reliable. Something like that could be a loaner gun in a pinch as well.
I use after market recoil springs on all my rifles. I hate the noise the mil spec springs make.